Boring, complex and important: a recipe for the web's dire future

Google has a new logo and it's... round

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The new brand image for the company is a simplified, rounded typeface that keeps the same colour palette as the most recent logo but reduces its complexity.

The search giant unveiled the round new multi-coloured image on Tuesday afternoon two weeks after a corporate reshuffle which saw long-time executive Sundar Pichai take over as CEO, while Google itself moved under a new holding company Alphabet.

In a statement the company said: "Once upon a time, Google was one destination that you reached from one device: a desktop PC. These days, people interact with Google products across many different platforms, apps and devices—sometimes all in a single day. You expect Google to help you whenever and wherever you need it, whether it’s on your mobile phone, TV, watch, the dashboard in your car, and yes, even a desktop!"

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"Today we’re introducing a new logo and identity family that reflects this reality and shows you when the Google magic is working for you, even on the tiniest screens. As you’ll see, we’ve taken the Google logo and branding, which were originally built for a single desktop browser page, and updated them for a world of seamless computing across an endless number of devices and different kinds of inputs (such as tap, type and talk)." "It doesn’t simply tell you that you’re using Google, but also shows you how Google is working for you. For example, new elements like a colorful Google mic help you identify and interact with Google whether you’re talking, tapping or typing. Meanwhile, we’re bidding adieu to the little blue “g” icon and replacing it with a four-color “G” that matches the logo." "This isn’t the first time we’ve changed our look and it probably won’t be the last, but we think today’s update is a great reflection of all the ways Google works for you across Search, Maps, Gmail, Chrome and many others. We think we’ve taken the best of Google (simple, uncluttered, colorful, friendly), and recast it not just for the Google of today, but for the Google of the future."

The new logo, which is already dividing the Twittersphere, seems to take its blocky, child-like inspiration from Lego or kids' alphabet spaghetti, giving the company behind the infamous "Don't be evil" mantra a somewhat softer, more innocuous feel. Others have commented on the switch to Google's very own sans-serif typeface, called Product Sans -- a font we first got a sneak peek of with the new Alphabet logo.